Combined fermenting bung and wire jar holder



'Patented Feb. 2S, 1924.

THOMAS R. MICHEL, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR F ONE-THIRD TO BERT F. KEECH AND ONE-THIRD T0 FRED E. HINKEY.

COMBINED FERMENTING BUNG AND WIRE JAR HCLDEE,l

Application lcd May 23, 1923.

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS It. MioHnL, a citizenof the United States, residing at Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Fernienting Bungs and Wire Jar Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, l0 such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices used in the fermenting of wine, and more particularly to a liquid seal vent device, such as is commonly used in connection with casks to permit the escape of the vapors produced during the fermenting process while at the same time preventing access of air to the contents of the cask.

Various devices of this general character are well known, but the objects of the present invention is to provide a device of an improved and simplified structure, lending itself to economical manufacture and adapted to use with a large variety of sizes of tumblers and bung Stoppers.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter more particularly de-V scribed and claimed.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof, in which rlike reference characters indicate similar parts throughout, and in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device, partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of the stopper showing the application of the bracket; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the stopper in horizontal section.

In accordance with the present invention a bung stopper 1 having a central bore 3 and an extension nipple 2 is provided near its top with an annular groove 5. A short piece of rubber tubing 4 is adapted to be attached to the nipple 2 to convey vapors aris- Serial No. 640,942.

ing from the fermenting juices contained in the cask (not shown), in the bung of which the stopper 1 is adapted to be positioned.

A bracket 7 is formed from a piece of suitable heavy wire or rod 6 made from suitable resilient metal. The rod 6 is bent adjacent its ends into rings 8 and 9, these rings being preferably left open as at 10 topermit their being sprung either in or out to varying sizes. The rings 8 and 91are formed to lie in parallel but spaced planes as illustrated in Figure 1, so that when ring 8, for instance, is sprung into the annular groove 5 of stopper 1, ring 9 will be positioned by rod 6 at an elevation .above stopper 'l and in proper position to receive a tumbler 11 containing a suitable fluid such as alcohol into Vwhich the free end of theY tube may be submerged.

It will be apparent that the rings 8 and Y 9, as above indicated, may be sprung to adapt same to varying sizes of stoppersand tumblers, Vand that in conjunction with the annular groove 5 the construction described permits the rotation of the bracket to any position desired relative to the stopper.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is,-

1. A device of the character described V top, and a bracketof suitable stiff and resilient wire bent adjacent its ends into two partly open rings, said rings lying in parallel spaced planes, one of said rings adapted to seat in said annular groove in the stopper and the other adapted to accommodate a tumbler or'the like.

In testimony whereof I aiixmy signature.

THOMAS R. MICHEL. 

